Autobot Call
by Ghost of the Dawn
Summary: 2007 Movieverse: A couple of Autobots have answered the call to come to Earth. But why aren't they reporting in to Optimus Prime?
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: Please take note that I wrote this story before the 2nd and 3rd movies came out. So events that happened in those movies will not be reflected in this story.

"_I am sending this signal to other Autobots who may have taken refuge across the stars. We are here... we are waiting..."_

Autobot Call

By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter One

The moon sank low with the late hour and the air was chilled from lack of the sun's warmth. A fiery, custom-painted semi without a trailer waited silently; far off the main roads. No one was about, for it was even too late for the summer bonfires and the party seeking teenagers to be out. Too early for the working class to even think about getting up. The magic hour. The only time they had freedom to show their true forms.

For it was as they had decided when they all had agreed to stay on this organic planet. To not live with its inhabitants, but among them. To carry on in secret; save for the few who knew of their existence. Such was the reason why a meeting like this was required.

Off a dirt road, a yellow emergency vehicle pulled up; lights off, siren silent. It rolled almost nose to nose with the semi and then both vehicles quietly scanned for any intelligent life forms in the area. When the premises seemed to be clear, a strange noise of rotating joints and gears and the twisting of heavy metal filled the countryside and silenced the night wildlife. The two vehicles fell apart piece by piece and, just as quickly, reassembled into new, humanoid shaped forms.

"Sneaking around every night," Ratchet grumbled, his metallic voice doing nothing to hide his displeasure.

Even then, with the shelter of the tall trees and the distance from the city, Optimus Prime's voice stayed low. "A necessary precaution, my friend. Human discovery may not be the only thing we'll have to be wary of soon."

Ratchet nodded but his visible attitude didn't change.

"So tell me again what you've discovered," Optimus urged.

To this, Ratchet's earlier annoyed shoulders slumped and he heaved something close to a robotic sigh. "As near as I can tell, the data doesn't lie, Prime. My sensors have picked up the energy signatures of at least two Autobots who have now come to Earth. That was over a month ago. I expected them to have found us by now. But still... nothing."

"You're sure they're not Decepticons?" Optimus questioned.

"Negative. I ran it all by Ironhide as well. We analyzed it every which way we had available. It appears to be of Autobot origin by all angles."

Optimus Prime fell silent and then looked towards the sky. "Then why aren't they looking for us?"

Ratchet crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Hard to say. Perhaps their locating equipment was damaged upon planet entry. Perhaps they themselves are so damaged they are unable to travel the distance. Or perhaps a few of our enemies came down with them and have captured them or worse. There are myriad possibilities, Prime, but we won't find any answers if we don't observe for ourselves."

Optimus looked skyward again. He always did that when he was thinking. The stars were all he had seen through his thousands of years of galaxy travel. He was so used to them now. It was almost hard to think without them. Leaving their current surroundings may not be the best idea. The battle in Mission City wasn't all that long ago and new reports were still being aired about the giant robots which tore it all apart and then suddenly disappeared. However...

"If Starscream does come back," Optimus spoke. "He'll return with reinforcements. We'll need all the help we can get." He looked down at the medic. "Contact the Autobots. We will leave at the crack of dawn."

* * *

The middle of the night was the perfect time for what she was about to do. Ferrari Turner would be turning twenty-three before Christmas but she was still refusing to leave the wild nights she spent as a teenager alone. There were too many thrills to experience; too much to enjoy to let it all go. And she was still young; she still had time and she was going to take it for all it was worth.

Summer nights like this were made to be taken. They called to Ferrari in such a clear voice it would drive her crazy to ignore it. Which was why she was out there now, sitting behind the wheel of a shiny red Lamborghini and driving down the back roads leading to the abandoned outskirts of Detroit. There were several people and vehicles already there waiting among the refused of dilapidated buildings and scrap yards. Some were pulled to the side, content to observe the excitement off the course. Others were lined up at the starting point; adrenaline pumping and eager to begin.

When Ferrari pulled up, many heads swiveled her way. Some appeared curious, others looked darkly in her direction. No one was happy to see her or the yellow companion car that pulled up behind her. Only one person from the entire crowd walked over towards the two Lamborghinis. Ferrari stepped out of her vehicle to meet him.

He was moderately tall and very thin with a sharp nose and slick black hair. He went by the name of "Snake" though Ferrari knew his real name was James Baker. Snake was one of those people who gave himself his own nickname instead of earning one properly. Though Ferrari liked to think he got it from the fact that his eyes were too far apart and his complexion always seemed so dry.

The two stood in the middle of the road, looking at each other in a silent game of intimidation. It was a game men always played to try and establish their dominance before the conversation even started. But Ferrari was no man and was never one to drag out a confrontation.

"I'm here to race," she announced sternly, sharp blue eyes watched from under blonde curls.. "My friend, too." She tipped her head back to indicate the yellow vehicle behind her. It was the same make and model as the one she had been driving.

Snake squinted over at the yellow Lamborghini. There was a human shaped shadow in the front seat, but he couldn't make out any distinguishing features of the driver.

"Who is he? I've never seen these cars around before. Where'd you get them Ferrari?"

"They belong to my friend over there," Ferrari said without skipping a beat. "His family's rich. His dad's a politician so you can understand why he doesn't want anyone to know who he is. He just wants to race."

Snake continued to glare at the yellow car.

"So you gonna let us in or what?" Ferrari demanded, placing Snake's attention back on her. "Or are you going to keep it to just your little boy's club?" She looked meaningful over at the other drivers watching them, making a show of looking unimpressed.

Snake's thin mouth spread out into a cold smile. "Sure Ferrari, you know the boys and I are always open to a little competition as long as you pay the entrance fee."

Ferrari pulled a wad of cash out of her back pocket. "Two hundred dollars," she announced as she presented it."

"Uh huh," Snake countered. "It's two fifty. EACH."

"WHAT?! That's bullshit!" Ferrari shrieked, catching even more attention from the crowd. She quickly lowered her voice. "What are you trying to pull, Snake? This isn't fair and you know it."

"Price goes up for newbies," Snake replied with a smug grin.

"I'm not new!" Ferrari spat. "You know me, Snake. Are you afraid a GIRL is going to beat all of you tough guys?"

"You're bringing in a new car, that make's you new. No one's ever seen you drive it before," Snake insisted. "As for your friend..." He glared suspiciously at the yellow Lamborghini again. "I don't trust anyone who doesn't show me his face. Something here doesn't smell right. Two hundred and fifty dollars each or you can both stay with your fancy cars on the sidelines. And don't think you can bully me out of it just because your daddy's a cop, Ferrari."

Ferrari glared at him.

"Unless there's_ another_ way you want to pay me," Snake grinned, eying her up and down in a way that made Ferrari's skin crawl.

"Fine," she snapped and reached down the front of her shirt to fish out more money from her bra. Knowing Snake, she expected it of him. But she still hated being conned. The only thing that would help her sleep well after this was to defeat him thoroughly and complete.

"Two fifty each." She slapped five hundred dollars in Snake's sweaty palm and paraded back to her car.

Snake could hear her grumble to herself as she got back into the red Lamborghini. But he cared not as he took the money over to one of his buddies that was holding the night's cash pool.

"Dude, you really want to let her in?" his friend asked in a hushed voice. "I've heard there's been two cars just like these cleaning up at all the tracks in the district. What if they win?"

Snake looked dubious. "Are you kidding me? It's Ferrari. We've both seen her drive; she ain't THAT good. Either someone's scammin' you or you heard about the wrong cars. There's no way she and that rich bastard she's with can beat us. Right?"

"If you say so Snake," his friend relented. "You go show them up, huh?"

Snake gave him a thumbs up and got into his car.

The winner of the race won the entire amount collected and it was a bit higher than normal with the two extra entrants. Snake was confident it would all be his. It wouldn't be long before he crossed the finish line first and then headed out to treat all his friends to beers and get a few loose women drunk for a night of fun. He doubted Ferrari would be one of those women who would join when she lost. But Snake still entertained the thought of spending the night with the attractive blonde if he ever got the chance.

With all the racers now present and accounted for, the cars were lined up at the starting point. Also per the "rules", Snake also insisted new drivers had to start in the back. The two Lamborghinis were at the rear of the pack, revving their engines with an impatient sound.

Several scouts over the course of the track radioed in that the track was free of cops and other vehicles. A young women looking slightly stoned and wearing very little stepped out with a flag. She raised it high above her head, snapped her gum a few times and then lowered it as a sign to begin the race. With the growling of well kept engines, several cars sped out on either side of her and off onto the crudely made track.

It wasn't a real track by any stretch of the imagination. More like a series of back roads in an old, forgotten part of the city. Once industrial, now sitting in decay. Full of half torn down buildings covered in graffiti, streets full of holes and debris that would not be removed for the race. The course was strange and dangerous and was good for getting the excitement of bored drivers pumping.

Snake, who had a position in front at the beginning of the race, was still leading. Even his friends had to admit that he was slimy and shady at times, but he was still one hell of a driver. He certainly didn't get his place at the starting line simply by organizing the event. More often than not, he would go home with the prize money. Tonight seemed no different to him.

As the track wound around old buildings and he dodged debris, Snake began pulling away from the pack. He knew this course well; all the twists and turns and all the road hazards. This course was cake with how many times he had raced it. He could see some of his friends in his rear view mirror. He identified the models by the shape and size of the headlights. His boys were getting good, too. They also knew the track well. But they couldn't beat him.

The course was about half way over when Snake noticed extra head lights in his rear view mirror. More cars were catching up to his friends behind him. A sharp turn came up. Snake drifted easily around the corner and for a moment, the lights were gone from his mirror. When they appeared again, the two new cars were in front with the familiar lights of his friend's cars behind.

"No," Snake muttered to himself. "It can't be them. That CAN'T be Ferrari... She's not that good."

But despite what he thought he knew, the two cars were still gaining fast.

_I have to stay ahead. The course is almost over, I just have to stay ahead._

The most deadly part of the course was almost upon them. This was the stretch that separated the real driver's from the novices. And Snake knew it like the back of his hand. Going into this part of the course, he knew it was near impossible for a car to pass him up while dodging all the hazards. He still had the race won.

The first set of obstacles were upon him. Snake artfully dodged and swerved around debris, totaled cars and potholes. However, to his dismay, not only were the two Lamborghinis keeping up with him, but they were gaining ground at an alarming rate. They seemed hardly affected by the difficulties. But it wasn't over yet.

Around the next corner, Snake knew, was the worst part of the course. It was a sharp, ninety degree angle turn around a large warehouse in which several old scaffolds jutted out right next to the building that couldn't be seen until one turned the corner. There were no street lights in this area either, making the turn that much more hazardous. Many drivers had fallen victim to this hidden trap over the years; some even severely injured. If a newbie like Ferrari tried it, the same thing would happen to her. Even if she did miss that obstacle, there was still a second ninety degree turn around the other side of the building which was most likely slow her down as well. There wasn't a single man in the Detroit area that did right angle turns better than Snake.

The first right angle was upon him and Snake started his drift. It was perfect. As close as he could get to the building without hitting the poles and boards sticking out of the side. Just as he thought, he saw the lead Lamborghini initiating its turn far closer to the building than he was. Normally, it would be a good idea to turn tighter as a way to get the lead in a race. However with all the debris in the way, one would crash right into it.

Or so he thought. Practically side by side with him, Snake saw the red Lamborghini turn into a drift with him and, hardly even slowing down, raced straight towards the hazard. The red one was Ferrari's car and she had just doomed herself. Though no crash came as the Lamborghini, even in the darkness, ran its tires perfectly over the wood and metal and arced over the wreckage. Using the highest part as a spring board, it jumped off and over Snake's head to land in front.

At the speed it was going, the red Lamborghini still should have crashed. However, right before Snake's eyes, the car executed the most perfect turn Snake had ever seen and sped off around the side of the building for the last part of the course.

Shaken by what he just witnessed, Snake tired to keep it together so he wouldn't crash himself. He slowed his speed to maneuver the second ninety degree turn himself when the second Lamborghini sped past him, pulling the same perfect turn without slowing down. Snake's jaw was somewhere around his ankles as he watched the two cars speed off into the night.

Though Snake came in third, the two Lamborghinis were already parked at the finish line when he pulled up. As he killed the engine, Snake just sat there, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. What was that? How could someone so unskilled as Ferrari pull that off? What was going on?

One of his buddies ran up to Snake's window and knocked on it, stop watch in hand.

"Dude! Those Lamborghinis just beat the course record!" he bellowed the second Snake rolled down his window. "I bet you saw it all! That must have been crazy!"

That comment put Snake in action. He flung open the door, nearing hitting the guy talking to him, and stalked dangerously towards the two waiting Lamborghinis, his blood beginning to boil. Behind him, the other racers were crossing the finish line.

Ferrari got out of her car and walked towards him. The driver in the yellow Lamborghini did nothing.

"So I believe that prize is mine," Ferrari gloated.

That comment just made Snake angrier as he rushed forward and grabbed her shoulder roughly.

"What the hell was that Ferrari?!" he demanded. "I don't know how you did it, but there's no way in hell you're that good. You cheated some how."

Ferrari calmly pulled herself from his enraged grip and took a step back. "And just how did I do that?" she said flatly.

By then, other drivers and observers were approaching them, including the young man who had been holding the cash pool.

"I don't know," Snake continued to insist. "But there's no way you got THAT good at driving so fast. NO ONE could be that good."

"That small minded thinking will never get you anywhere, James," Ferrari retorted, keeping her calm. "Now I do believe I won first place." She looked meaningfully at the person holding the cash.

The young man looked around, unsure. Snake usually called the shots and he wasn't looking too happy. But Ferrari did win whether Snake liked it or not. When no one voiced anything against it, he slowly handed Ferrari the money.

"Better luck next time," Ferrari gloated in Snake's direction.

That last comment did it.

"Leave the car."

"What?" Ferrari demanded.

"The red one," Snake continued. "You and your rich boyfriend can go, but leave the car."

"You're _stealing_ my car?"

Snake's slimy smile returned. "Nah, I'm just going to have a look at it. If everything is satisfactory, I'll give it back. If I find out you did something to this car to help you cheat, then we'll be back for a talk."

Ferrari glared at him. She knew even if he didn't find anything amiss, Ferrari would be sure to get the red Lamborghini back in less than top conditions due to Snake's personal "inspection". She opened her mouth to argue, but Snake's friends were mobilizing and they were surrounding her. There were too many of them, most likely several had weapons upon their person as well. Ferrari froze. She wanted to fight, but the likelihood she would win was not looking good.

Deciding for her, the yellow Lamborghini revved loudly and the passenger door opened.

"Go on Ferrari," Snake grinned in triumph. "Tell your rich boyfriend we'll give it back when we're done."

Defeated, Ferrari took one last look at the red Lamborghini then retreated into the yellow one and drove off.

* * *

A few hours later, Snake drove through town in Ferrari's smooth, cherry red Lamborghini. After hanging around with his cronies, chewing the fat by the track, he finally decided to check the car out for himself. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about that machine that slightly put him on edge. It sat there silently the entire time, just like any other car would. But for some reason, Snake kept finding himself looking back at it as if someone were watching him.

It must had just been his imagination. Perhaps he was still a bit unsteady from the race. Finally, he decided to drive the red Lamborghini himself and took his girlfriend Lanisha for the ride.

As they pulled away from the track into the better kept roads of the city, Snake had to admit that the car handled just about as smooth as any car should. Breaks and steering were tight. Shocks were top notch and it sped up like a dream. Snake had never been rich enough to afford a car like this. Maybe if he had one running this well he could have pulled off those same stunts.

"Careful, Snake!" Lanisha barked as he swerved tightly to miss a pothole. "I almost spilled my beer!" To further her point, she quickly put on her seat belt.

Snake raised an annoyed brow at her. "So now you don't think I can drive safe, huh? I was just checking out the car's reaction time, babe. That's all."

"Still, better safe than sorry," Lanisha insisted.

Snake was suddenly sick of her presence.

"Well, it seems to drive fine. After I drop you off, I'm going to take it down to the garage. We'll strip the engine and–"

The Lamborghini suddenly slammed on its breaks. Lanisha was held in tight by her seat belt, but Snake's face flew right into the steering wheel.

"Sonofabitch!" he swore as he grabbed his broken, bleeding nose.

"What the hell was that, Snake!? Are you crazy?!" Lanisha demanded.

"It wasn't me, it was the car! It stopped on its own."

His girlfriend stared at him. "What's your damage? A car doesn't stop by itself. If you just want me out of the car then–" she reached for the door handle, but the door locked itself.

She turned and glared him. "Now you're just being a dick."

But Snake wasn't looking at her. His door had locked as well and he was frantically yanking at the handle to get out.

"What the hell is wrong with this car?!"

Without hands on the steering wheel or a foot on the pedal, the red Lamborghini squealed its tires as it took off.

"Snake, what's going on?" Lanisha screamed.

The car sped through the night traffic, swerving wildly past the few vehicles that were on the road.

"How the hell should I know?" Snake demanded, his voice just has high with fear.

"Lord, we're going to die! We're going to die!" Lanisha screamed.

The Lamborghini swerved and sped and dodged, all the time its passengers screaming for their lives. Finally, it kicked violently to a stop, doors flying open. Both passengers were flung from the car. They clung to each other as the car doors closed by themselves and then the driverless Lamborghini sped off into the night.

* * *

"Ferrari," Officer Turner said to his daughter as she walked in the door. "It's six in the morning. Where have you been all night?"

Ferrari sighed as she walked into the kitchen where her father and little brother were sharing a breakfast of cold cereal.

"Dad, we've been over this. I'm twenty-two. I don't have to tell you about every little thing I do any more."

"You do when you're still living under my roof," her father warned.

"The only reason I still live here is to take care of the Booger," Ferrari insisted lightly, ignoring her father's tone. She gave her ten year old brother a kiss on the head before ruffling his hair.

The young boy said nothing as he continued to eat his cereal.

"You're not doing it too well," Officer Turner insisted, still irritated. "Being out all night doing God knows what. Have you even found a job yet, Ferrari?"

"I'm working on it. I'm doing a few things on the side," she insisted with boredom.

"Those better be legal things," Officer Turner informed her. "If I see one of my boys bring you in for drugs or prostitution–"

"Dad!" Ferrari squawked. "I would never! I can't believe you would even suggest–"

"I'm just letting you know," her father clarified. "I'll put up with you being out all night with your friends that I've never met, but that's where I draw the line."

"Your shift start soon, Daddy. You should get going," was all Ferrari said.

Officer Turner put his dishes in the sink and grabbed his keys. "Lock up if you leave the house and make sure Clinton catches the bus."

"Yes Daddy," Ferrari said as she followed him to the door.

"And get yourself a real job," Officer Turned told his daughter in a lower voice. "I'm sick of you bringing home cash that I don't know where it came from."

"I'll see what I can do, Daddy," Ferrari said in that tone her father knew meant she wasn't going to try all that hard.

But there was no more time to argue. Officer Turner was due on patrol. He kissed his daughter good-bye and Ferrari waved him off. Then she went inside to get her little brother off to summer classes so she could go to sleep.

* * *

Sam Witwicky groaned. This was a total rip off. His few and glorious summer mornings to sleep in were upon him and he was alert at the crack of dawn. Why couldn't he go back to sleep? Why was it so hot in his room?

Sighing heavily, Sam wandered downstairs in his boxers and t-shirt to get a drink of water. The days had been smoldering lately. Even this early in the morning, Sam was parched. He poured some water from the tap and drank it slowly.

So early in the morning, the neighborhood was silent. The rumbling of several vehicles, including one pulling away from his house, caught his ears.

Sam lowered his glass to confirm what he heard. His heart started beating faster.

"No..." he breathed. "NO!"

He dropped the plastic cup, splattering the floor with water as he raced barefoot out of his house.

A line of vehicles led by a red and blue semi were pulling away from the Witwicky home when the leader had to slam on his breaks as a hysteric seventeen-year-old threw himself on front of him.

"What are you doing?!" Sam screeched.

There was an audible groan from the semi.

"What's going on?" came a voice from down the line.

"It's the boy," rumbled another.

"Slag. Doesn't he ever sleep?"

Sam streaked down the line of cars.

"WAIT!" He threw himself on the hood of the yellow Camero at the end of the line. "You can't take Bumblebee! My life depends on it! Do you hate me?"

"Do something Optimus, we have to go," Ironhide growled.

Despite the fading darkness, Optimus transformed into his robot mode and stepped over his comrades to the frantic teenager.

"We don't have time for this," he said, delicately picking Sam off Bumblebee by the back of the shirt.

The young man seemed hardly intimidated by being dangled face to face in front of the giant robot.

"Optimus, please," he begged. "I need this car. The popular kids have stopped throwing things at me and I told Mikaela I would take her to the lake tonight. How am I going to take her without a car? Huh! Answer me that!"

Optimus glanced meaningfully at the pink bike in the yard with the flower basket.

Sam's eyes went wide.

"No! No, Optimus!" he barked as if disciplining a dog. "This is going to ruin my life! Not to mention what my parents are going to do to me! Do you not realize how difficult it was just to explain all this to my parents?" He gestured to the giant robots. "They are going to flip out if we just suddenly go missing."

"There is no we," Optimus insisted. "Bumblebee is going. You are staying here."

Sam hung there, mouth open as if trying to process the very odd and foreign concept of being separated from his guardian.

"Sir," came a small voice from the Camero. "Let me speak with him."

"Yes, yes," Sam agreed as Optimus put him on the ground. "Bumblebee and I will figure something out. Give me an hour to–" Optimus glared. "Half an hour," Sam corrected himself. "Just thirty minutes to figure this out. That's all I'm asking. Just some time to think, okay?"

"Fifteen," Optimus informed him.

"Twenty-five," Sam insisted.

"Twenty minutes, then we must go," Optimus said with finality. He turned his back to end the conversation and trudge back to the front of the line.

"Prime, why do we always do what that human boy says?" Ironhide growled, still in vehicle mode.

Optimus transformed back into his own vehicle mode. "His talking creates such a buzzing in my diodes," he muttered tiredly. "Where does he get all that energy?" To his team he said "Autobots, we'll fall back for twenty minutes and then we'll go."

As the sunlight spilled into the sleepy neighborhood, the Autobots hid themselves, parked on various streets out of the way. True to the agreement, after twenty minutes, the yellow Camero pulled away from the Witwicky home without being noticed.

"Good 'ol Bumblebee," Ironhide said in approval. "That little guy always comes through."

"Alright Autobots," Optimus Prime relayed through their radios. "Let's roll out. Ratchet, lead us as far as that signal will take us."

"Sure thing, Prime. Follow me."

* * *

As the convoy organized and filed out of the neighborhood towards the interstate, a young woman jogged past them going the opposite way. She had earbuds on and paid the group of vehicles little mind. However, after they had turned the corner, she stopped to check her pulse and clicked a small button on her the device at her hip.

"Hummingbird, this is 07," she said in a low voice. "The entire team has mobilized and they appear to be heading out of the city."

"Any civilians with them?" a voice crackled on her headset.

"None that I could see. They appeared adamant about leaving the boy."

"Do you know their destination?"

"Negative. We weren't expecting this."

"Understood 07. Track them. Don't let them find you and report back when you know where they're going."

The woman looked in the direction the vehicles had gone. "Roger. We'll keep an eye on them until we can figure out what they're up to."


	2. Chapter 2

Autobot Call

Chapter Two

Officer Karl Turner stepped out of the station with his partner in tow. Officer Turner was a medium sized man with a stern face that usually meant business. His partner Dontae Conner, however, was downright intimidating. In his mid twenties, the large black man stood six foot with well muscled bulk. But Karl and others who knew Dontae, knew he was one of the friendliest guys you could meet. As long as you weren't breaking the law, that was.

The two walked to the parking lot to begin their patrol. Officer Conner frowned as he picked out their ride among the row of police cars. It was easy to see amidst the sea of shiny new automobiles. It was the only one old, rusted and out of date.

"Karl, you know I love you man, but it's time to get a new car," Dantae said as he opened the squeaky passenger side door. "I'm tired of being seen driving around in this POS. The street punks are starting to loose respect for me."

Officer Turner frowned. "You don't need fancy wheels to get respect, Conner. Plus you know I love this car. I've had it with me for as long as I've had my son. Ten years isn't that long. It's still got plenty of miles left in it."

"Not the way you've been riding it," Dontae argued. "That thing has seen some heavy action, man. It's time to get a new one."

"Not a chance. This car is good luck," Turner insisted. "So I'm keeping it as long as it still runs." He patted the rusty hood before climbing in with a squeak of old joints.

Dontae sighed as he got in as well.

"Hey," Turner then said. "You show me a car with more personality and I might consider it."

"Okay," Dontae said as he looked at the worn dashboard and torn back seat. "I'll keep that in mind."

The engine started with a squeal and the two drove off to start their patrol.

"So how's Ferrari?" Dontae then asked. "I haven't seen her around lately. Not since she dropped out of training."

Karl Turner shook his head. "That girl. I don't know what she thinks she's doing. You know I wasn't too happy when she started her police training. But that was better than her dropping out and doing... God knows what she's doing now."

"Yeah, I saw her on the ranges a couple of times. That girl can shoot straighter than anyone I had ever seen. Plus she's as stubborn as you are, smart, too. If she would have finished, she'd have been one hell of an officer."

"For someone so smart, she's been making some very dumb decisions," Turner grumbled in his fatherly tone. "I don't care if she doesn't want to become a cop any more, but she needs to become something."

"Give her some time, Karl," Dontae said in a sober tone. "She only lost her mom a year ago. She's still getting over it."

"Her and her brother, both," Turner confirmed. "Clinton still hasn't said a word to anyone since it happened. But Ferrari...she's not a kid any more. If she doesn't clean up her act I'm afraid I'm going to see her in the station one day in a pair of cuffs." He gripped the steering wheel tighter. "If that ever happens I just don't know what I'm going to do."

* * *

"Sam?" Ron Witwicky called into his back yard. No answer. "Sam!" He grumbled as he wandered back into the house in his robe. "Where is that kid?"

"Ron, what's going on?" his wife asked as she came down the stairs. "If you're looking for Sam, he's probably still in his room. The boy hardly gets up before noon these days."

"He's not there, I checked," Ron insisted. "Bumblebee's not here either."

"Oh they probably just went for a drive or something," she waved him off.

"We discussed this several times," Ron said with irritation. "If we were to continue to allow that... thing- that alien to stay here, Sam was to always tell us where and when he was going with it."

"Check the fridge Ron, maybe he just went out for milk. He usually leaves notes there."

Ron Witwicky did check the fridge and sure enough, there was a note held there by a magnet that had a picture of Sam and Mojo on it. Ron snatched it up and read through it, mumbling a few of the words out loud.

"Road trip... no time to explain... be back soon! Please don't worry?"

Ron crumpled the note in his hand as his blood starts to boil.

"I'm going to kill that kid."

* * *

Several hours into the drive, the trail of Autobots were still going strong. They were heading through the steep mountain roads of Montana when Bumblebee radioed he needed to stop. The other Autobots thought this was odd as they pulled into the gas station along the side of the road. Bumblebee certainly didn't need to refuel. Though they were cars, they didn't exactly run on mere gasoline. And the reactors that powered them weren't so frail that they would give out just after a few hours of driving.

Their answer came as a human body raced out of the yellow Camero and into the gas station, demanding where the bathroom was before he exploded.

"Bumblebee..." came Optimus' chastising tone through his radio.

The yellow car almost seemed to shrug. "I couldn't leave him. He looked up at me with those big, round eyes..."

"He's not your pet, BumbleBee," Ratchet admonished.

"This is really going to slow us down," Ironhide said, not sounding happy at all.

Sam was now purchasing snacks for the trip inside.

"Tell me about it," Optimus sighed.

* * *

Late that night, Ferrari Turner was hanging out at one of her favorite bars. She was hustling pool, which was her other past time when she wasn't out street racing. Only with this, she was infamous for being flawless at it. Most of the locals and regulars knew she was good already and would only play her for fun or watch her beat a few new guys who didn't know any better. But Ferrari was mostly left alone to play pool with herself tonight. And that suited her just fine. Those who knew her knew of her favorite places to hang out.

And Snake knew her.

Ferrari was leaning over the table to sink the Eight Ball when she felt something solid press against her back.

"Come up slowly," slithered a voice Ferrari easily recognized. She did as she was told.

"Now, you and I are going to leave here nice and easy and get in the car, alright?"

Ferrari set down the pool stick on the table and gracefully walked out of the bar with Snake right at her side. They continued that way to the parking lot where Snake escorted her over to the driver's side of his car.

"Don't try anything funny," he threatened.

Ferrari didn't. She got into the driver's seat and sat there calmly as Snake ran around to the other side and got in. Only when he was in his car, did he pull the hand gun out of his jacket and wave it openly. Ferrari gave it a calm, side long glance.

"Nice piece, James. Does your parole officer know you have that?"

"Shut up, Ferrari!" Snake snapped. "I'm going to do all the talking here!"

"Well you can start by talking about where you have my car," Ferrari responded coolly.

"You know DAMN WELL I don't know where your car is!" Snake squawked, his voice rising. "Stop playing stupid with me, Ferrari or I swear to God I'm going to blow your head off!"

Ferrari remained silent for a moment.

"So then what do you want from me?"

"Drive," Snake ordered. "Take me to them. I want to see what the hell those cars are. And if you don't you'll wish you've never been born, you got me, Blondie?"

Ferrari opened her hand for the car keys. "No need for names, James."

Snake put the sweaty keys in Ferrari's hand. She could tell he was shaking. And in truth, it did make her nervous that a very unstable person was pointing a gun at her head. But she couldn't show it. It wouldn't help the situation at all if she started freaking out along with him. So instead, she started the car and pulled out onto the road.

Though her face remained stone on the outside, Ferrari's heart was pumping hard on the inside. She knew what may happen if she didn't do what he said. But if she did, she had no idea how this very wired young man was going to react. From the smell, Snake was probably high and that, she knew, made him paranoid. If she showed him what he wanted to see, how would he react? Even worse, if there was nothing to see at their destination and with how tight he was wound, she had a feeling there would definitely be some problems. And although she had gone though self defense training, Ferrari wasn't so sure she would make it out of that skirmish unscathed.

The only thing she could do now was to do as Snake ordered and hope for the best.

It was out in a more rural part of town that Ferrari pulled up to a large storage garage. The kind meant to house small recreational boats and automobiles. Most of the money Ferrari won in the races paid for the place.

Snake watched her every move as she slowly got out of the car and bent over to lift the wide door. Ferrari held her breath as she pulled and hoped there was something in there. Just because she wasn't out racing often didn't mean her friends weren't either.

Relief was in her face when two Lamborghinis, one yellow and one red, shined in the headlights. They were sitting in the midst of a giant interior several times wider and taller than was needed for housing only two cars.

"Well, there they are," Ferrari said, trying to stop her voice from trembling. The suspense was getting to her. What was going to happen now?

Snake just stood there for a moment, still pointing the gun at Ferrari's back and looking the two cars over. The silence was almost unbearable.

"Do it," Snake then ordered, poking her with the barrel for emphasis.

"Do what?" Ferrari asked, her mouth a bit dry.

"Make them do... whatever it is they do."

"They're just cars. You want me to drive them?"

"No! God damnit, Ferrari! Stop playing me for a fool! I KNOW that red one doesn't need no damn driver to make it go!" He grabbed her arm, thrusting the gun against her temple. "Show me how it works or I'll-"

"You hurt her and I'll run you into the wall..." a voice growled.

"Sun! Sh-h-h!" a second voice hissed.

The gun went from Ferrari's temple to rapidly scanning the room.

"Who said that?" Snake demanded, wildly checking all the dark corners. "Whoever said that, come out now or I'll blow her brains out!"

In response, the yellow Lamborghini's engine started despite the fact there was clearly no one inside the car. Snake's gun aimed straight for it.

"What the-"

"Snake, don't do anything. Calm down," Ferrari said.

The Lamborghini's headlights flipped on, momentarily blinding the frantic young man. Ferrari could feel his body tighten in fear.

"Snake! Don't!"

He pulled the trigger. The bullet spiderwebbed the glass of the windshield.

"Alright! That's it!"

The yellow Lamborghini began to, as near Snake could tell, fall apart and then reconstruct itself. As the metal mass grew and changed, he was about to fire again when the gun was shot out of his hand. Looking over at the red Lamborghini, he saw a laser gun sink back down into the hood before it began to transform itself as well.

Before Snake's eyes, the cars moved their parts around until they now resembled two giant robots. The red one looked unsure and stayed back, but the yellow one obviously furious. Stepping forward, he slammed his foot between Snake and Ferrari and glared at the young man with ice blue optics.

"Scram!" he yelled in a metallic voice. "Before I pop off your limbs, one by one."

From her place, Ferrari could see Snake's normally tanned face go ashen white before he suddenly flailed his arms and took off for his car. Ferrari had left the keys in the ignition and Snake wasted no time in backing out at full speed. His tires squealed like a banshee, but he didn't get too far when he hit something much bigger than himself. First he thought it was the robots coming after him. But when he saw it was a large semi, a bit of relief fell over him as he scrambled out of the car and over to the driver's side of the large truck.

"You gotta help me!" Snake screamed. "There are giant robot monsters over there! They look like cars, but they-"

He stared through the window and there was no one driving the vehicle. Even more pale than before, Snake looked at the other cars around. It was hard to tell in the darkness with their headlights shining on him. But he had an eerie feeling there wasn't anyone driving them either. There was a moment of silence before Snake gave another shriek, raced back to his car, his pants now soiled, then sped away, hitting a sign as he went.

* * *

Back inside the warehouse, Ferrari and the two robots had heard the crash and stood there in silence, unsure of what to do. The yellow one was frowning over his broken windshield. Ferrari held up her hands as she was blinded by the large, high headlights approaching. It was hard to see, but it almost looked as though a semi had pulled up to the door of the warehouse. The two robots with her just looked at the vehicle stupidly, not having the mind to try and hide themselves yet.

Before it occurred to them they might want to, the semi suddenly changed its shape. Ferrari had never seen one of these giant robots transform so fast. It was almost a split second later and there was another robot in the room, taller than the ones Ferrari was used to.

"YOU TWO!" Optimus Prime barked, anger clearly in his voice.

"PRIME!" both robots cried, their voices high in fear at being found. The red one jumped into the yellow one's arms.

Behind the tallest robot, two other vehicles transformed into their root modes as well.

"Primus almighty, we came all this way for them?" Ironhide grouched.

"Sideswipe! Sunstreaker! What have you been doing all this time?" Optimus demanded. "Why didn't you report in?"

"Well, we were going to, Optimus, really," the yellow one, Sunstreaker, insisted. "But-"

"But well, the Allspark was already gone and so were the Decepticons," Sideswipe

finished for him. "So there's nothing really left to do so we thought we'd just hang out here for a while."

A disgruntled Ratchet pushed his way inside and stormed up to the two. He grabbed each one by the transistors on the side of their heads-almost as one would grab the ear of a naughty little boy. Likewise, the two yelped in pain and outrage as they were hauled out of the garage.

"Ouch, Ratchet! Leggo!" Sunstreaker demanded.

"C'mon! We didn't mean anything by it! We were going to come back! Honest!" Sideswipe cried.

"You two and I are going to have a VERY long talk," Ratchet informed them.

"Aww..." the two chorused at once as they were dragged outside.

Once they were gone, Optimus turned his attention to the blonde young woman still standing in the midst of them. He went down on one knee to get closer to her level.

"I'm sorry if they caused you any trouble. I am Opt-"

"I know," Ferrari nodded. "Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots." She smiled at him. "They talk a lot about you."

"I see," Optimus said neutrally. "Then I'm sure you realize there are many things I wish to discuss with them now."

"I'm sure you do. Just don't be too hard on them, okay?" Ferrari said hopefully.

Optimus made no move to acknowledge the request. Instead, he looked to the yellow Camero who was still in his vehicle mode. "Sam, make sure the young lady gets home safely. I have some business to take care of."

A teenage boy poked his head out of the driver's side window. "Yes, Optimus Prime, Sir!" Sam gave an awkward salute, trying to look official and important.

Ferrari got in as the Camero opened its passenger door for her. As she sat down, she eyed the teenager in the driver's seat.

"When did you get your Autobot license, Junior?" she said with bemusement.

"Hey, I'm seventeen, okay," Sam shot back. "I know how to drive."

"Still, I'd rather he drive." Ferrari nodded to the dashboard as she put on her seat belt.

Indignant, Sam reached over to put the car in reverse, but Bumblebee beat him to it and backed himself onto the road.

"Thanks a lot," Sam murmured to the steering wheel.

Ferrari gave them the address. Sam had no idea where to go, but Bumblebee had already calculated the route via an online link through Map Quest. The three of them rode in silence for a few minutes. In that time, Sam stole sideways glances at his passenger. She was pretty, he had to admit. Curly blonde hair, long legs and tanned skin. Sure, Sam had Mikaela, but his hormones wouldn't allow him to not look at other girls. Even if they were older and clearly not interested in him, he still had the urge to make sure she was, if not impressed, then at least not unimpressed with him.

But what to say to her?

"So, what's your name?" Ferrari spoke softly, staring at the dashboard.

"Uh, Sam!" Sam instantly jolted at the question. "Sam Witwicky."

Ferrari gave a lopsided smile. "I wasn't asking you. I was asking him." She nodded to the dashboard again.

The radio gave a friendly chirp at her.

"His name is Bumblebee," Sam answered for the Autobot. "He doesn't really talk too much."

"Bumblebee..." Ferrari whispered softly, her thoughts fading off again.

"I'm sorry," Sam interrupted. "I didn't catch your name."

Pulled from her thoughts, she looked up at him and smiled, a bit tiredly. "Ferrari Turner."

"Really? That's your name? That's cool!"

The blonde just nodded absently. She didn't seem to be too talkative. But Sam couldn't let it go. He didn't feel comfortable unless someone was talking.

"So those two Autobots you were with, these guys didn't tell me about them. Who are they? How did you end up with them?"

Ferrari raised her head again to answer.

"The red one is Sideswipe. The yellow one is Sunstreaker. According to them they were built at the same time and fashioned under similar models. I guess you could say they are like brothers- twins. At least as close as robots can be to brothers."

She sighed and brushed a blonde curl from her eyes. "I don't go home much these days. About a month ago, I was just walking around the city by myself in the dark." She chuckled. "My dad would have killed me if he knew. Then I saw two lights in the sky, like shooting stars. Big ones. A while later, two Lamborghinis drove up to me, yellow and red. I thought they were going to pass me up, but for some reason they stopped. The red one opened its door to me, offered me a ride. I saw the car was empty, but I got in any way. The rest is history, I guess."

"They turn into Lamborghinis?!" Sam demanded, stuck on that detail. "Oh boy, I gotta drive them sometime!"

His seat suddenly lurched forward and the horn honked as Sam's forehead came in contact with it.

"Hey! I was just kidding!" Same insisted to Bumblebee. "I wouldn't trade you in!"

Ferrari chuckled. "So how did you meet the Autobots?"

The young man shrugged. "I went used car dealership and paid four thousand bucks for Bumblebee."

Ferrari raised an eyebrow. "For this sweet ride?"

"He didn't quite look like this at the time," Sam insisted.

"Well, worth every penny and more, I'm sure," Ferrari smiled. She leaned back in her seat and then her smile melted away as she sighed.

"I feel bad for them. They pretend they have no cares, but those two are hurting inside."

"The two new ones?" Sam clarified. "Sideswipe and Sun..."

"Sunstreaker, yes," Ferrari nodded, her eyes far off. "They really look up to Optimus Prime. When they first dropped here to Earth, I could tell. They talked about him all the time. They wanted to go back, but..."

She drifted off and Sam grew impatient.

"But what?"

Ferrari looked out the window at the city lights as they passed by.

"They were part of a secondary crew that was supposed to follow the ship Optimus and his team were in. But they were out flanked by the Decepticons and dragged back. The rest of the crew was killed. They were the only two that made it. And they've been floating around in space all alone for a very long time before they came here."

Ferrari gave a side long glance to Sam. "They weren't trying to abandon anyone. I think they just feel a bit like failures and they were too ashamed to return to their leader without the rest of their time. But they were going to go back. They just needed some time..."

The blonde young woman drifted off and Sam wondered about her tone. He couldn't really understand what these new Autobots had gone through or what they were feeling now. But it seemed that Ferrari understood a little.

"Well, here's me," Ferrari announced as Bumblebee pulled up outside the small house.

Sam wondered if he should open the door for her, but Ferrari was already letting herself out. She walked around the car and paused in front of the head lights, looking at the yellow and black striped hood. Then, she knelt down and placed a hand on the nose of the Camero.

"Take care of my boys for me, will you Bumblebee?" she said softly. "And, if you could, make sure they don't leave without saying good-bye."

A metallic reply chirped back at her that almost sounded like "I'll try."

Ferrari stood, satisfied with the answer and headed toward her house. She paused on the front porch to watch Bumblebee drive away. It had been a while since she had thought about her first meeting with the two Autobots. Now that kid Sam had brought it up again and a familiar question wandered in her mind.

Why did they stop for her that night on the road? And why did she get in without a second thought? Ferrari had an odd faith in destiny and she, in truth, had never felt it as strong as she had that night. Maybe that was why she got in. And maybe those two had felt it, too; and that was why they had stopped. But who could say?

As she turned to go inside, something made her pause as her hand touched the doorknob. Suddenly she had a distinct feeling she wasn't alone and her hair stood on end. She glanced around the darkness at her silent neighborhood. It was late, no traffic, no lights on in adjacent houses.

There was an odd flash at the corner of her eye, like light reflecting off of metal. Like something big sitting in the neighbor's driveway. But when she snapped her head around, nothing was there. A strange sound reached her ears, dry and high pitched like a metallic hiss.

However, no matter how long she stared at that spot, it didn't change the fact that it was obviously empty. Wary from the experience, Ferrari finally retreated inside and locked the door.

In the dark neighborhood, invisible, something watched. When the young woman went in, it decided to move. There was that same hiss as something turned and metal shined for only a moment before it disappeared from view again and slipped away into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Autobot Call

By: Ghost of the Dawn

Part 3

It was still dark when Ferrari got up that morning. She sighed tiredly at the early hour, but she had to make sure her little brother was up on time.

"Stupid summer school," she thought as she trudged to the shower. She badly needed a wake up call. It was hard enough that all the events of last night kept her from going to sleep. But then having to get up at this early hour was ridiculous.

She opened the window next to the shower and looked out and the dusk horizon and the sleeping neighborhood. The crickets were still chirping. The cool air felt good even this early in the morning so she left the window open.

As she started the hot water and got in the shower, Ferrari thought about last night again. About the giant robots she had just met and about the ones she had known for a while now. What was going to happen to them? Would she get to see them again? Now that they had changed her life, how could she go back to the way it was before she had met Sideswipe and Sunstreaker?

"Pst! Ferrari!"

Ferrari raised her head. She thought she heard a voice over the hissing water.

"Ferrari!"

It sounded like it was coming out the window which seemed unlikely since she was on the second story and there were no trees near by. But Ferrari peeked her head out from behind the shower curtain anyway. Her eyes widened when she saw a giant, metallic face in her window.

"Sunstreaker!" She quickly hushed her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," Sunstreaker whispered. "Just wanted to let you know what's going on."

Ferrari pushed her wet hair out of the way. Her face did little to hide her disappointment. "Are you guys leaving now?"

Sunstreaker flashed her his most charming smile. "Not yet. Ratchet says he's getting some strange readings in the city. Optimus wants us all to throughly scout the area before we go. So we probably won't be leaving until tonight. And Sideswipe says he wants to take the kid to school and pick him up one last time."

"That's fine." Ferrari nodded, though a bit blankly._ One last time..._ Then they would be gone.

"Hey," Sunstreaker then said, catching Ferrari's attention again. "We also need you to let Sam stay for a bit while we scout around."

No sooner had he said that, but a teenage boy was lifted up to the window.

Ferrari screamed and grabbed the curtain, pulling it tighter around herself. Sam, seeing his predicament, screamed as well and tried to scramble back as he was pushed through the window at the same time.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Sam cried, trying to cover his face as Sunstreaker forced him in through the window whether he wanted to or not.

Ferrari looked extremely angry at the moment and Sam would have gladly tossed himself back out the second story window if he could.

"Ferrari?" There was a knock on the door and a deep, male voice.

Both the bathroom occupants froze at the sound and Sunstreaker ducked away from the window. Ferrari shot Sam a warning look to keep his mouth shut.

"Is everything okay in there?" her dad called.

"Yeah Dad," Ferrari replied. "I just... saw a spider."

"Okay then. Well I'm leaving for work. Make sure your brother gets to school on time."

Ferrari sighed visibly. He said that every day as if she had never done it before. "I will."

"Okay, have a good day. I'll see you tonight."

Ferrari and Sam both stood there, breaths held, waiting for him to come back. He never did. A while later, they could hear out the window a civilian car pull away. Only then did Ferrari breathe out a bit freer. Then she turned to glare to Sam.

"You. Out!" she ordered. "Go downstairs and wait for me until I get there."

Sam didn't need to be asked twice. He fled from the bathroom so Ferrari could finish her shower and ran down the stairs into the kitchen. It was empty at the time so he sat down at the table and obediently waited. A few minutes later, he looked up when he heard soft footsteps enter the room. A ten year old boy shuffled in still wearing his pajamas. He rubbed his eye tiredly with his hair poking up everywhere. Sam envied him for being able to get a good night sleep. The boy paused and looked at the stranger in his kitchen.

"Um, hi," Sam fumbled. "Don't worry, I'm here because--uh, your sister said... she and I..."

The little boy ignored him and went to fetch a bowl and some cereal from the cupboard. Then he sat down next to Sam and ate quietly.

Sam hated silences. They made him uncomfortable and he still had the urge to prove to the child that it was okay for him to be in the house.

"Your sister knows I'm here, so it's okay. I came with her friends. Well, I guess they're my friends, too. We have mutual friends and--"

The little boy suddenly perked up, looking at Sam with wide eyes. Then he grabbed his cereal box and ran with it out the front door. Sam stood up and followed. He got to the door just in time to see the red Lamborghini parked outside open its passenger door and the child climbed in as the door shut behind him.

Sam just stood there watching as Ferrari came down the stairs, dressed with a towel wrapped around her damp hair. At first, she had no idea what Sam was doing until the teenager turned to her.

"Is it okay that he know about the giant robots?"

To that, Ferrari gaped angrily and ran outside. "Sideswipe! Clinton!" She opened the passenger door with fading tolerance. "What are you doing out here in your pajamas? And cereal? I told you I was going to make breakfast, Clinton! Get inside and get dressed. The car isn't going anywhere young man, now march." She pointed towards the front door and the confused Sam.

Clinton slowly slid out of the car with his cereal box and trudged back to the house. Ferrari gave a sidelong look at Sideswipe.

"Really, you're no help," she told the vehicle before going in herself.

Sam didn't realize how famished he was until he started to smell the pancakes cooking. Then his empty stomach suddenly twisted and he felt a wave of nausea come over him. He was starving. Ferrari gave him the first pancake which he ate down heartily.

"So Ferrari," Sam said between bites. "That's an interesting name."

She looked up from where she was cooking. "Huh? Oh yeah. When my mom and dad first got married, he said he wanted one more than anything else. But then my mom told him they were going to have me instead. So I guess naming me was the compromise."

Clinton, finally dressed, came down to join them and ate in silence.

"So the kid's alright with keeping that secret, huh? About the Autobots?" Sam stated out of the blue.

"Clinton doesn't talk. At all," Ferrari insisted. "He's very good at keeping secrets." She sat down next to her brother to eat. "Now Booger, Sideswipe is going to take you to school and pick you up today. So I don't want you to play around, okay? You get right in that car when you see it, alright?"

Clinton nodded as he ate his pancakes.

As Sam ate, he thought about the two new Autobots that this girl named Ferrari knew and about the things he had witnessed the night before.

After dropping off Ferrari, Sam and Bumblebee had returned to the site where they left the other Autobots. As Sam got out of the Camero, he could see Ratchet and Optimus taking turns reaming out Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. The two Lamborghinis had little alternative but to sit there and take the tongue lashings in guilty silence. As Sam listened to the tone used on the two new Autobots, he flinched with empathy. He had a feeling he was going to get a similar greeting from his father when he got home.

Bumblebee transformed and stood silently next to him, not giving his own opinion of the situation as Ironhide, in robot mode, walked up to them both.

"They don't look happy to see them," Sam had to comment. "Optimus looks pissed."

"He might be a bit," Ironhide concurred. "Those two have caused more than their share of trouble with this. But I have to say Optimus is probably far more relieved than angry with them. We thought we had lost those two for good for a while now. Despite the fact that they're extreme pains in the aft, we can thank Primus they're still alive."

Sam looked up at Ironhide curiously. "Why? Are they important or something?"

"Those two," Ironhide informed him. "Are the youngest of our race. They were the last lives given by the Allspark before it was lost to us all." The old robot suddenly got a far off look. "A strange creation indeed. I was there when it happened. The Allspark had only ever granted one life at a time, but that night, when the Allspark granted life, one spark left the Cube and split into two. Twin sparks.

"I saw it with my own optics and I almost couldn't believe it. And I could feel it deep down in my processor; even now as I see them again. It was as if the Cube knew it would then be lost and this was it's final life granted to our planet."

Ironhide almost seemed to sigh as he looked skyward. "Those two... they really burn my grill sometimes. Since day one, they've acted as if never quite realizing there was a war going on. That our very existence is on the line. They just seemed to be waiting for... something else."

"Something else?" Sam wondered.

"Such a strange pair," Ironhide continued, partly ignoring the question. "Sometimes it seems as if they hear things the rest of us can't. And there was one night when Sideswipe was badly injured by a Decepticon raid. It was severe enough I thought his spark would go out for sure despite how wildly he thrashed around. As Ratchet worked to subdue him, I could hear the young punk muttering to himself, only half of his processor online. Something about a Sigma Vector or Vector Sigma. I'm not quite sure. When I asked him about it later, he had no idea what I was going on about.

"But Optimus has a theory. He believes something hidden deep down in the root programing of those two show-boat hotshots is a key to finding a way to still save our planet despite the fact that the Allspark is now gone forever."

"Another Allspark maybe?" Sam wondered.

"Who knows, kid," Ironhide mumbled. "Though I have a feeling that the answer won't be found during my life time." He chuckled down at Sam. "Definitely not yours. Maybe not even during the life of this planet. Maybe that's how long it will take us to end this war. And I believe if anyone can survive, it will be them and only then it will finally be safe to rebuilt Cybertron again."

At that time, Sam experienced a deeper understanding of just how old these great metal beings were and how short his own life span must feel to them compared with theirs.

"You tired?"

Sam looked up as Ferrari leaned over to look him in the face.

"You were spacing out on me. Didn't you get any sleep last night?"

Sam blinked at her and then realized how exhausted he really was.

"No, I didn't, actually."

Ferrari shook her head. "That's giant robots for you. Heaven forbid they understand that we have different needs than they do. You're welcome to crash on the couch if you want. My dad won't be home all day and I'm just going to stick around and clean. I'll wake you up if any of the Autobots show up, okay?"

Sam nodded tiredly. That sounded like a plan to him.

* * *

"Hummingbird One, this is 008 calling in progress." 

"What's the status report, 8?" came a female voice on the line.

A man in his late 20's on a bicycle responded to the radio in his helmet. As he did, he watched on as a flame painted semi and a yellow Lamborghini parked in a lot for a few minutes.

"It's now been confirmed, all Autobots are here in Detroit including the two new ones. Twin designs- Lamborghini. Code names Yellow and Red until they can be identified."

"And you're sure they are now reporting under Optimus Prime?"

"Affirmative. They are now fully among the Autobot ranks and following his orders, whatever they are. They all seem to be combing the city. For what, we're not sure yet." 008 watched as the two vehicles pulled out of the lot and continued down the road.

"Acknowledged. Keep me posted. I will be on site myself soon. Hummingbird out."

* * *

Sam slept like a log as soon as his body hit the couch. Sometime in the afternoon his sleep was interrupted as the house phone rang. He heard Ferrari answer it and settled back down to resume his sleep. 

"When?" Ferrari's voice floated out from the kitchen. "How bad is it?" Pause. "Well where did they take him then?" Her voice started to shake and rise in pitch. "No! I'm not going to sit tight Dontae! That's my dad! I'll take care of it! Just hold on! I'm coming over there!"

Shortly after, Sam was aware of her roughly shaking his shoulder.

"Sam, get up. I have an emergency I have to go to."

"Huh? Wuh?" Sam mumbled as he tried to sit up.

Ferrari went around to the front of the couch, trying to get Sam's half awake attention.

"Listen, I need you to pay attention for me. I have a cab coming. I am going to the hospital, alright?"

That woke him up a bit more. "Why? What happened?"

"It's my dad," Ferrari replied solemnly and offered no more information than that. "I need you to stay here and wait for my little brother to come home. Take this," She shoved her cell phone in Sam's hand. "I will call you when I know what's going on. If you don't hear from me by the time Clinton gets back then I want you to go with Sideswipe and take my brother with you and you stay with that red Lamborghini until I do call. Do you understand me?"

Sam blinked tiredly at her. "Yeah... I guess..."

There was a cab horn outside and Ferrari grabbed her keys.

"And don't you tell my brother ANYTHING until I talk to him first," she called as she ran out the door.

"Thanks Sam!"

Sam scratched his head tiredly as he watched her go before flopping back down on the couch.

* * *

Ferrari ran though the emergency section of the hospital, eyes wide and frantic. She immediately noticed the small group of officers waiting there. One of them, a tall black man, stood up to meet her. 

"Dontae!" Ferrari cried as she ran up to him and grabbed the front of his shirt. "How's my father? What happened? Where is he? Let me see him!"

"Calm down, Ferrari," Dontae said slowly as he grabbed her shoulders. "You can't see him right now. He's in surgery. You're going to have to wait."

Ferrari took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her heart felt like it was going a million miles a minute. It was getting hard to breathe.

"Is he... going to be okay?" she panted. "I can't-- I can't tell Clinton that--"

"It's okay, Ferrari. It's okay," Dontae spoke softly. "Calm down. Take deep breaths."

Ferrari nodded, but her rapid breathing wasn't slowing down. Dontae frowned as he saw this. He knew Ferrari was normally a level headed person. But after just losing her mother to the same thing her father may be dying of, he wasn't surprised at her reaction.

"Come," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Walk with me."

He led the hyperventilating young woman outside and walked her around the back parking lot until she was breathing normal again. They ended up at her father's beat up old police car. Ferrari leaned against it as Dontae brought her some water.

"Feeling better?" Dontae asked.

"Yeah," Ferrari said softly as she took a drink. "Thanks."

He smiled gently at her. "It's no problem."

"Please Dontae, can you tell me what happened?"

The tall officer sighed. He chose his words as carefully as he could.

"There was a drug bust that turned into a shoot out. Your father took a bullet to the chest. The doctors said it missed his heart, but that's all I know."

Ferrari nodded, staying silent.

"You know," Dontae had to add. "When I saw that gun aimed for your dad, I thought that was it. The aim was dead on . I expected your dad to be dead before he hit the ground." He patted the hood of the police car. "But this piece of junk just may have saved his life. It's so old and beat up the doors don't even stay shut. I couldn't believe it. The second the gun went off, this front door swung open. It took the bullet first, Ferrari. And it may be the reason it didn't hit your dad in the heart."

Curious, Ferrari stood. She immediately saw the bullet hole in the driver side door and then opened and closed it experimentally.

"Craziest thing I ever saw," Dontae confirmed.

Ferrari opened the door again and sat in the passenger seat of the police car.

"Dad loved this car," she sighed, hugging the steering wheel.

"He will still love it," Dontae said firmly. "Just have some faith; he's tougher than that. I don't think it's his time yet."

Ferrari nodded slowly to the steering wheel. She glanced over to the passenger side and saw the blood stains on the seat where her father obviously had sat while Dontae drove him to the hospital.

"Dontae, do you mind if I sat here for a while–alone?" she asked. "I just need a few minutes."

In turn, Dontae looked hesitant at the request, but finally nodded. "Sure. You know where to find me if you need me."

Ferrari gave him an appreciative smile. "Thanks. I'll come back inside in a little bit."

She watched him go, noting the reluctance in his step. She knew he was a nice guy, all her father's friends were, but she didn't want to see them right now. She didn't want to hear them talk to her like they knew how to solve her problem. All she wanted was to be alone, far from them so she could gather her thoughts.

As if some power heard her request, Ferrari looked down and noticed the keys had been left in the ignition. Without hesitation, Ferrari started the car. She had to get out of here; she needed time to think. She drove away from the hospital to another part of town where she pulled into an empty lot and there she finally allowed herself to cry.

It felt good and hurt at the same time. But it was a relief to be able to get out all she was feeling; to be able to scream at the top of her lungs and no one would be able to hear her inside that car. And when she had finally cried as much as she could, she felt better. Her mind was clearer to think. She began to formulate her plans; what she would do if her father didn't make it. What she was do if he ended up needing care for the rest of his life. And also, how she was going to tell her little brother.

After she had figured all this out and readied herself for what was to come, Ferrari knew her place was now back at the hospital to wait with the others. To be there next to her father whatever the out come may be. Once this was decided, Ferrari started the old police car again and drove off for the hospital. As soon as she got there, she was going to call Sam and tell him to bring Clinton to the hospital as soon as he got home. Then, at least, they would all be together and that was what mattered.

Flashing lights in the rear view mirror caught Ferrari's attention and she saw another police car pulling up behind her.

"Great! Did one of dad's friends call me in?" she said out loud. Then she looked closer at the vehicle in her mirror. "Wait, that isn't a Detroit police car..."

As a direct result of her observation, the gas pedal beneath her foot sunk lower on its own accord and the car sped up. Ferrari lifted up her hands as the steering wheel jerked and watched with wide eyes as it turned itself around the corner.

_The car is driving itself! Is it...another one?_

The new police car behind them had also picked up speed to stay with them and was now flashing its lights and blaring the siren, but the car she was in was not adhering to the warning. In fact, it was accelerating to the point of almost reckless speeds as it skidded onto an entrance and then jetted out into the freeway. Behind them, the other police car stayed right on their tail.

Ferrari was at a loss on how to react. She had no control over the situation whatsoever and had no idea what was going on.

On the dashboard, a yellow light began to blink and then a rough, metallic voice reached her ears.

"Ferrari," the card said to her in a voice that sounded as though it hadn't been used in a long time. "Hold on. This is going to be a rough ride."


End file.
